Letter writer: Fight for a world without hatred

Graphic by Lori Deaton

Hi. I am a sophomore at Odyssey Community School in Asheville. I am writing this letter as an outlet for voicing my opinion about the HB2 bill that was recently passed in North Carolina.

This bill is disguised as something that will protect citizens’ privacy in the state of North Carolina. However, the bill provokes discrimination and bullying to not only the LGBT community but also discriminates against people because of their religion, race, color, national origin, biological sex and handicap.

This world, sadly, is not perfect, not by a long stretch. I am growing up in a world already full of discrimination and hate. Progress has been made over many years; fights have been lost and won. This bill is not a step toward privacy and comfort, but millions of steps backward, toward a world that encourages hate, prejudice and inequity.

I urge my fellow students, adults, people of all walks of life to fight against this injustice and fight for a world without hatred against individuals.

— Grace
Odyssey Community School

Editor’s note: Xpress usually does not publish letters to the editor that do not fully identify their authors. We decided to make an exception in this letter and others from students on this topic because of the writers’ ages and in the interest of fostering community discussion around the issue.

SHARE

Thanks for reading through to the end…

We share your inclination to get the whole story. For the past 25 years, Xpress has been committed to in-depth, balanced reporting about the greater Asheville area. We want everyone to have access to our stories. That’s a big part of why we've never charged for the paper or put up a paywall.

We’re pretty sure that you know journalism faces big challenges these days. Advertising no longer pays the whole cost. Media outlets around the country are asking their readers to chip in. Xpress needs help, too. We hope you’ll consider signing up to be a member of Xpress. For as little as $5 a month — the cost of a craft beer or kombucha — you can help keep local journalism strong. It only takes a moment.

About Letters
We want to hear from you! Send your letters and commentary to letters@mountainx.com

Before you comment

The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.